1972
The Robbinsdale City Council asked the Metropolitan Transit Commission to study the feasibility of a minibus system linking West Broadway, Robin Center and 36th and France. A 10 cent fare was proposed. The minibus would make a complete trip around all three business areas in 10 minutes. The plan hit a snag when the Metropolitan Transit Commission explained that the city and local merchants would need to kick in $147 a week to keep the minibus rolling.
Student governments from all three of Robbinsdale area high schools presented a “Student’s Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” to school board. The statement addressed topics ranging from freedom of the press to the right of a student to sit or stand where they please. Some of the more controversial provisions dealt with open campus regulations and discipline. Students said the document would help clarify confusing rules and protect constitutional rights. District officials nodded and smiled upon receiving the document at a meeting attended by about 100 students.
Robbinsdale High School Wrestling Coach, John Grygelko relished the victory his 1972 squad gave him on Friday, January 14th. When Robbinsdale edged Hopkins Lindbergh 20-19 it was the 200th dual meet triumph in the 20 years Grygelko coached Robbinsdale teams. Grygelko planned to retire at the end of the year. He told the Minneapolis Star, “It’s the close ones you remember, not the lopsided victories. I’ll remember this quite a while and I’m sure the kids will too.” Grygelko ended his career with a Win-Loss record of 238 to 48. He coached 14 individual State Champions and 90 State Place Winners. RHS won it all with the 1961 State Championship team. Grygelko was inducted into the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1973 and the Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2016.
In May, Robbinsdale Police Chief George Roope submitted his resignation. Roope had considered a court fight and a Civil Service hearing on his forced retirement. A Robbinsdale city ordinance required policemen to retire at 60, five years earlier than the retirement age for other city employees.
In September a fire broke out on a bridge located at 36th Avenue North and Indiana. Wooden Timbers underneath the concrete portion of the bridge burst into flame. Shortly after the fire started a number of residents reported their phones were out of service. A Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. spokesman said a number of telephones with the “588” exchange were not working. Service was restored a day later. It took the fire department 45 minutes to put out the flames.
Promiscuous Robbinsdale cats and dogs forced city officials into a no-nonsense stand on the animals sexual activities. On September 25th, the Robbinsdale City Council gave preliminary approval to an amendment to the leashing ordinanace which would require female dogs and cats in heat to be confined within a building until out of heat. At the time Robbinsdale had about 3,000 dogs and 1,500 cats. City Councilman Ray Mattson voted against the ordinance because he didn’t think the police would be able to determine which animals were in heat. The new Police Chief Roland Thurman told the Minneaplis Star, ” Many People will have them in the yard and they’re really a nuisance. You can have a cyclone fence around the yard and there’s still a problem.
North Memorial Hospital made it’s auditorium available to Virginia Johnson, a cardiac nurse, who set up free public discussions, including time for doctors to answer questions from the audience.
This post is part of a series loosely based on the book Robbinsdale Then and Now by Helen Blodgett. The image at the top of the post is a North Memorial Hospital postcard. Wrestling photos are courtesy of RHS Robins on Facebook.